Is it really possible for someone to drink 10 drinks per day?

In this photo illustration, bottles and cans of beer that are products of SABMiller and Anheuser-Busch InBev are shown on September 15, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

10 drinks a day. That's the alcohol consumption of the top 10 percent of American drinkers, according to research by Philip J. Cook that Wonkblog highlighted last week. Those jaw-dropping numbers have generated a ton of discussion -- and a fair share of disbelief.

For more of the backstory, here's a clip of Philip J. Cook's appearance last night on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes." He discusses his methods, the policy implications, and how many people under-report the true extent of their drinking habits.

"People in the top decile probably don't have a very good idea of how much they're drinking," he said. "When they say they have a drink, what they might mean is they take a water glass and pour it full of whiskey and put a few ice cubes in it. The rest of us would call that three drinks - or four drinks."

Watch the full clip below.

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Christopher IngrahamChristopher Ingraham writes about all things data. He previously worked at the Brookings Institution and the Pew Research Center. Follow